TED is taking its annual two-week summer vacation starting today. During the break, we’ll post some of our favorite talks from the TEDTalks archive, arranged into playlists.

Today’s playlist is about life stories and life lessons. It starts with the beautifully told tale of a grand life, lived with passion, principle and humor, as Ben Dunlap tells it:

Designer Stefan Sagmeister tells us what he has learned in his life so far:

Filmmaker Deborah Scranton helps three soldiers tell their own stories of conflict in Iraq in her powerful “War Tapes”:

And A.J. Jacobs talks about his year of living Biblically:

Now you tell us: What are your favorite life stories among the 750+ TEDTalks? Add your suggestions for this playlist to the comments below, or email contact@ted.com with the subject PLAYLIST: LIFE STORIES. (Jog your memory with the TEDTalks spreadsheet.)

And look for fresh TEDTalks starting on August 16!

Curator of this playlist: Rachel Tobias